Roberto Colautti

Roberto Colautti was born in Argentina, and he has stated plainly, "I was born in Argentina and I think and feel like an Argentine."[6] He began his professional career at Boca Juniors before attracting the attention of Israeli football.[1]

In July 2004, Maccabi Haifa reached an agreement with Boca Juniors to bring Colautti to Israel on a one-season loan, with an option to purchase him afterward.[3] Haifa coach Roni Levy had spent nearly a month following him in Argentina before bringing him to the club.[7] At 22, Colautti had not anticipated building a life in Israel, but he met his future wife, Alovit Strauss, roughly a month after arriving.[7] Because he did not yet speak Hebrew, he relied on a dictionary to write her notes.[6] They later married.[7]

Colautti initially struggled to find the net after joining Haifa but eventually established himself as a reliable striker.[7] Over his time at the club, he scored 39 goals in 90 appearances, winning two league championships and a Toto Cup.[1] Haifa had acquired his player registration for €500,000.[8]

A major moment in his club career came in February 2007, when he scored the only goal as Maccabi Haifa defeated CSKA Moscow 1–0 in the first knockout round of the UEFA Cup, sending Haifa into the last 16.[5] The goal came in the 14th minute, when Colautti stabbed the ball home after CSKA failed to clear a corner.[5] It was a significant European achievement for Haifa during an otherwise difficult domestic season.[5]

In August 2007, Colautti departed for second-division Borussia Mönchengladbach in Germany, with Haifa receiving a reported €1.6 million for the transfer.[8] On leaving, he said: "I had three amazing years at Maccabi Haifa, the best of my life," adding that he felt the move was necessary to advance his career.[9]

Contemporary reports differed in how they described Colautti's status in July 2006. The Jerusalem Post reported that he had received temporary residency, including an Israeli ID card, social benefits, and the right to vote in municipal but not national elections; Globes described the decision as the granting of citizenship.[10][11] The temporary-residency report said full citizenship might ordinarily follow within four years.[10]

In June 2007, after FIFA changed its eligibility rules, Interior Minister Roni Bar-On decided to expedite the process and grant Colautti permanent residency and full Israeli citizenship. Bar-On said Colautti and Toto Tamuz were lawful residents with genuine ties to Israel and that the decision was intended to prevent harm to the national team.[12]

FIFA and UEFA had confirmed Colautti's eligibility to represent Israel shortly before a European Championship qualifier against Estonia in 2006.[4] In his national-team debut, he scored the only goal—in the seventh minute—to give Israel a 1–0 victory.[4][1] Later Sport5 and ONE profiles report that he made 21 appearances for Israel and scored six goals.[1][7]

In a June 2007 Euro 2008 Group E qualifier against Andorra, played on a rain-soaked pitch, Colautti was central to both Israeli goals. After the goalkeeper lost the ball when it stopped in a puddle, Colautti gathered it and crossed for Toto Tamuz to head in the opener. He then headed in a cross from Barak Yitzhaki in the 53rd minute.[13] Israel won 2–0, temporarily moving to the top of the group with 17 points from eight matches.[13]

During the 2009 World Cup qualifying campaign, Colautti returned to the national-team picture after being dropped from the squad and publicly criticizing coach Dror Kashtan.[14] Ahead of a match against Moldova, he was competing with Ben Sahar for a place alongside Elyaniv Barda.[14] He expressed his commitment to the shirt: "I love playing for the national team and I work very hard to make sure I am called up."[14]

At Borussia Mönchengladbach, Colautti's first season was disrupted by repeated injuries, including a ligament problem that kept him sidelined for three months.[7] He went on to score nine goals in 49 appearances for the club between 2007 and 2010.[1]

In 2010, he signed for Maccabi Tel Aviv on a three-year contract with an option for a fourth year, at a point when he had scored five league goals in 19 appearances for Mönchengladbach that season.[8] At Tel Aviv he scored 19 goals in 75 games and was part of the club's championship-winning squad in the 2012–13 season under coach Oscar García.[1]

Colautti left Israel in 2013 and subsequently played for Anorthosis and AEK Larnaca in Cyprus.[2] In the 2013–14 season, he scored 15 goals in 32 appearances for Anorthosis.[1]

Colautti's career included two league titles and a Toto Cup with Maccabi Haifa, another Israeli championship with Maccabi Tel Aviv, and a winning goal on his Israel debut.[1] His goal against CSKA Moscow also helped Haifa reach the last 16 of the UEFA Cup.[5]

By 2015, Colautti indicated that he was approaching retirement, saying he had lost some of the desire to continue and wanted to spend more time with his family, though he did not rule out playing another season if the right offer arrived.[1] His career ultimately ended without a farewell match or public announcement. Reflecting on the moment, he said: "I told myself it was over; my battery had run out of energy."[7]

After football, Colautti moved into the fintech sector.[2] As of 2025, he was living in Madrid with his wife and four daughters.[2] He has spoken about the financial vulnerability many players face at the end of their careers: "When it ends, we don't know where to go."[2]

Approved sources are not fully consistent on Colautti's international record. Later profiles from Sport5 and ONE report 21 appearances and six goals for Israel.[1][7] A 2010 Globes article instead gives 19 appearances and nine goals.[8] A June 2007 Ynet report said that he had scored six goals in his first eight national-team matches.[6] The available sources do not explain why the Globes goal total differs from the later profiles.